David Bouchier

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David Bouchier (born 1939) is a British-American essayist and journalist known for his radio essays on NPR, his humor column in the New York Times, and his literary social commentaries.

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Biography

Before enrolling in college, Bouchier spent 12 years working as a journalist for London newspapers and doing freelance interviews for a BBC program. He then specialized in American studies at the University of Essex. He went on to complete his doctorate in sociology at the London School of Economics, studying America's radical politics of the 1960's. He moved to the United States in 1986 and taught at State University of New York at Stony Brook and other institutions. He contributed regularly to NPR's "Morning Edition" and "Radio Pages". [1]

Bouchier wrote a humor column for the Long Island section of The New York Times for 10 years. His radio essays and columns have received Press Club awards. He taught at the University of Iowa Summer Writing Festival. [2] He hosted a classical music program on NPR stations, called "Sunday Matinee", which was described as "quirky". [3]

Critical reception

Bouchier's book Idealism and Revolution was largely panned except for its final chapter, which focused on alienation, the end of scarcity, and the impact of consciousness on social change. [4] The Feminist Challenge was commended for delineating how British feminism focused more on class-based issues than American feminism, and for its analysis of the organizational styles of both movements. [5] Bouchier's commentaries on suburban life, politics, foreign travel, and technology have been described as lightening an otherwise curmudgeonly tone with whimsy and genuine openness to change. [6] His memoir An Unexpected Life was commended for Bouchier's ability to guide the reader from an apparently pedestrian remark to a significant social commentary. [7] While Kirkus Reviews praised Dark Matters for Bouchier's writing about the failure of modernity as showing "great passion and elegance", the reviewer took issue with Bouchier's views on religion. [8] Bouchier often quotes David Hume, Mark Twain, George Orwell, Alexis de Tocqueville, Greek and Roman philosophers. [9]

Bibliography

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References

  1. ↑ Weber, Sandra J. (June 13, 1993). "Long Island Q&A: David Bouchier: A Sociologist's Quizzical View of L.I." The New York Times. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  2. ↑ "Essays by David Bouchier". PRX. Public Radio Exchange. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  3. ↑ Vaccaro, Chris R. (August 28, 2011). "What's Happening at the Library in September?:Classical DJ Spins a Tale". Patch.com. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  4. ↑ Spence, Larry D. (September 1980). "Idealism and Revolution: New Ideologies of Liberation in Britain and the United States. By David Bouchier". American Political Science Review. 74 (1): 151. doi:10.2307/1955657. JSTOR   1955657 . Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  5. ↑ Calman, Leslie J. (December 15, 1984). "The Feminist Challenge: The Movement for Women's Liberation in Britain and the United States, by David Bouchier". Political Science Quarterly. 99 (4): 731–732. doi:10.2307/2150720. JSTOR   2150720 . Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  6. ↑ Sanzel, Jeffrey (December 8, 2017). "Book Review: 'Out of Thin Air'". TBR NewsMedia. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  7. ↑ Baum, Joan (May 15, 2018). "An Unexpected Life". Dan's Papers. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
  8. ↑ "'Dark Matters': a ruminatively enjoyable if familiar consideration of the failed promise of modernity". Kirkus Reviews. January 4, 2020. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
  9. ↑ Baum, Joan (April 22, 2022). "Book Review: Out of Order". Baum on Books. Retrieved 11 September 2024.

"David Bouchier: A Few Well Chosen Words" (podcast)

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